Vaibhav Sooryavanshi conquered the hype. Now comes the hardest part: Waiting

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in action during the Asian Games in Japan. (PTI) NEW DELHI: One will have to empathize with 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi.Whenever VVS Laxman was at the helm, Sooryavanshi played for India, be it in Zimbabwe or the recently concluded 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. To accommodate in the playing eleven, Sanju Samson moved to the 3rd position. But when Gautam Gambhir returned for the West Indies T20I series, Sooryavanshi was kept warming the bench.The youngster made his India debut under Gambhir during the England tour earlier this year, but the India head coach made it clear that Sooryavanshi will have to wait for his opportunity. Gambhir also made no secret of his confidence in Samson, India’s player of the tournament for the T20 World Cup 2026. He admitted that leaving out the Kerala batsman during India’s tour of England was the “toughest decision” he has made since taking charge as head coach.In the first T20I against West Indies, Sooryavanshi was again on the bench, Samson opened alongside Abhishek Sharma. Samson’s stay at the crease lasted just nine balls before he hit a half-tracker straight back to Akeal Hosein. It was a mild rejection and Ian Bishop, one of Samson’s many admirers, couldn’t help but question the batter’s consistency in the comments box.

The world sees him differently and he sees himself differently in the world. What he’s in control of is the only thing we can talk about: how he handles himself in this new world he’s in and how he handles the way the world reacts to the new Sooryavanshi.

Sujith Somasunder | Former India and Karnataka opener

So the question is, where does that leave Sooryavanshi?Sujith Somasunder, former India and Karnataka opener and sports psychologist, believes the teenager now has to learn to navigate a world that has changed dramatically since he became one of Indian cricket’s biggest young stars.“Sooryavanshi has achieved what he has achieved so far on his own. Now his position in the cricketing world has suddenly shifted to another tangent. The world sees him differently and he sees himself differently in the world. What he has control over is the only thing we can talk about: how he copes in this new world he is in and how he copes with the way the world of Soavan responds to the very important will of the new world.” to control and manage this situation,” Somasunder told TimesofIndia.com.

Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Sanju Samson (Image credit: Insta)

“Sooryavanshi needs to realize that ‘Now I’m going to get in the water, so I need to know how to swim.’ Similarly, he must understand that the world I am in now is a bit different from what it was before I became Sooryavanshi. He will also have to learn and understand how to navigate himself in this situation,” he added.Sooryavanshi is now battling for a place in the playing XI with Samson, the man whose 97 not out, 89 and 89 in the knockout stages helped India defend their World T20 title. But since those heroics, Samson managed only two half-centuries in 11 innings, both coming in Delhi, a traditionally batsman-friendly venue. He was dismissed for single-digit scores in six of those innings.Meanwhile, Sooryavanshi is still only 15. He has already become a superstar despite being at the very beginning of his international career. He endured a rough start in England against Jofra Archer and Co. but found his groove in Zimbabwe and looked superb at the Asian Games.

One does not become a player of the tournament at the World Cup without having talent. So Sanju Samson has done enough.

Gautam Gambhir | Head coach

Still, Gambhir has drawn a clear line so far. If Samson’s lean run doesn’t continue, Sooryavanshi will have to wait longer than expected for another opportunity.However, Gambhir stressed that Samson does not need anyone to confirm his place in the team and pointed to his performances as proof of his ability.“First of all, he doesn’t have to give me any credit (for communicating properly when he wasn’t playing). His talent alone is enough for him to be in the dressing room. He has shown what he is capable of. One does not become a player of the tournament in the World Cup without having talent. So he has done enough,” Gambhir said in an interview with Jio Hotstar, praise.

Lucknow, Oct 06 (ANI): Indian player Sanju Samson bowls during the first T20I match against West Indies at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday. (NOT a photo)

“It was again a very clear conversation from Vaibhav’s point of view that he has to wait for his opportunity. We know his talent. We know what he can do,” Gambhir said of Sooryavanshi.However, for Somasunder, the waiting time is not necessarily an obstacle. It could be an important part of Sooryavanshi’s development provided the teenager gets the right support and guidance.He cites the example of Australia and Ricky Ponting, an extremely talented youngster who was early identified as a potential future leader.“In the world of cricket, the way it is in India, the onus is always on the individual. For example, in Australia I remember Ricky Ponting was a very brash young talent. I heard, although I’m not sure if it’s true and I don’t have it verified, that the Australian Institute of Sport, as it was originally called, identified Ricky Ponting as a leader. Another initiative to bra Ponting was that he took on a very young captain. a child, but if they saw that he could be the future captain of the Australian team, then they had to nurture him to behave appropriately and develop the right leadership skills,” he said.

India’s Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in action during the gold medal cricket match between India and Pakistan at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Baker)

Somasunder believes Indian cricket could similarly look beyond just managing Sooryavanshi’s performances and invest in preparing him for the pressures that come with being one of the country’s most talked-about young cricketers.“Meanwhile in our relationship-oriented culture, Australia could be described as more task-oriented. So when it comes to the individual, there are certain nuances of a relationship-oriented culture. In a task-oriented culture, there is more individualism. In a hierarchical culture, people tend to bow down to someone higher up in the hierarchy. In an individualistic culture, everyone will call themselves by their own name, and may even call themselves by their own name.For Sooryavanshi, this may be his first real lesson in the less glamorous side of international cricket. He has already learned how to declare himself on the biggest stage. Now he has to learn how to wait for it. At 15, that patience could prove just as important as the talent that got him there.